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HVAC Technician shortage in Rhode Island: the licensed-supply numbers

What the Rhode Island register actually shows, by tier and per capita, updated nightly.

As of 2026-08-09, Rhode Island carries 2,212 licensed HVAC technicians on its state register, or 201.8 per 100,000 residents.

2,212
licensed HVAC technicians
201.8
per 100k residents
#9
density rank of 32

Rhode Island does not issue a separate apprentice license for this trade, so no pipeline ratio is published here. The tier counts below are what the register itself records.

Against comparable states

States nearest Rhode Island on licensed HVAC technicians per capita.

StateLicensed HVAC techniciansPer 100k
Rhode Island2,212201.8
Oklahoma13,171324.9
Arkansas7,776253.5
Kentucky10,993242.9
Texas59,775196.0
Delaware1,230119.2
Maryland7,200116.5
Counts, not a capacity opinion. We publish the licensed supply and the pipeline ratio; whether a market can absorb a given project is a judgement for the reader, not a claim we make.

Frequently asked

Is there a HVAC shortage in Rhode Island?
Reporting on the shortage rarely states how many are actually licensed. Rhode Island carries 2,212 licensed HVAC technicians on its register as of 2026-08-09, or 201.8 per 100,000 residents. Readers can weigh that supply against demand directly.
How many licensed HVAC technicians does Rhode Island have?
2,212 on the state register as of 2026-08-09.
Where does the shortage narrative come from?
Industry analyses project national shortfalls of hundreds of thousands of skilled-trades workers against data-center and electrification demand. Those are demand-side estimates; the figure here is the licensed supply on the register today.

Related

Count
How many HVAC technicians in Rhode Island
Market
Rhode Island licensed trades supply
Corridor
Electricians and the data-center buildout
Track Rhode Island licensed supply as it moves.

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